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Jimmy Page @ Barnes & Noble in L.A. Nov. 11, 2014

Strider

By Strider
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Strider

Strider

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You'll have to excuse my tardiness...I'm in the middle of a kiler stretch of work and shows. I'm so sleep-deprived I don't know if I'm coming or going. But here are some photos of the event Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at The Grove Barnes & Noble in Hollywood. I was around the hundredth person in line of 250. I got some great face time with Jimmy. Full details to come when I get a chance. No photos were allowed past a certain point in the line.

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SuperDave

SuperDave

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Glad you got to make it to the signing Strider as I know there was no way in Hell you'd miss it! I'm guessing you didn't make it to the interview event with Cornell? Anyway, I'm looking forward to your report and some photos. No hurry as I know your sched has been quite hectic as of late!

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Strider

Strider

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Here is my account of the events of Tuesday, November 11, 2014...the day one Mr. Jimmy Page came to Barnes & Noble in Los Angeles.

Originally I was going to go to the Nov. 12 Ace Theatre event with Chris Cornell, but two events conspired to change my mind. 1) The Barnes & Noble event was added to the schedule; and 2) The reports that came back from NY that there was no interaction with Jimmy at the Jeff Koons Y event, which meant zero chance at the L.A. talk as well.

I didn't want to just get his book and see him talk, I wanted to be able to greet him and say a few words of thanks. I didn't even care about taking photos or having him sign stuff or anything like that. Just to be able to see him face-to-face was my only goal. It has been years since seeing Jimmy and Robert at the Bodhi Tree whenever they came to town and now that the Bodhi Tree is closed, that opportunity is lost forever. There still is Amoeba...I have seen Robert pop in, and Jimmy has been spotted shopping there as well, but it is never a guarantee and besides, you don't want to bother them when they are just trying to look for records. It is rude.

Another reason that changed my mind to go see Jimmy at the B & N instead of the Ace was mere scheduling convenience...Tuesday's B & N event was more easy to shoehorn into my work schedule. It just meant another night of little or no sleep.

So the day actually began Monday night. After a long weekend working and watching Monday Night Football and tabulating the football pool results and catching up on the forum, I decided to take a quick nap before heading down to The Grove where the Barnes & Noble was located. The Grove is an outdoor shopping village fabricated next door to the Farmers Market at Third St. and Fairfax Ave. in Hollywood. The Barnes & Noble website said that they would allow people to line up at 5am, but I knew some early birds would show up before then. I figured on napping for a couple hours until midnight and then head down to the bookstore. A couple hours would be enough to get me through the night and all day Tuesday. I double-checked the Facebook page for the Jimmy event, to see if any early-birds had posted "We're here in line!" posts and didn't see any so I figured all was okay and leaving at midnight would still get me there before the 250 person limit was reached. 250 wristbands were being handed out and 50 standby(which didn't guarantee you anything).

Well, naturally in my exhausted state, I overslept. It's funny...as soon as I awoke with a start, I immediately knew I had napped too long and that it was way past midnight. It was past 3am when I made it to The Grove...much later than I had planned. I groaned when I could see a long line of people as I was walking down Third St. "Fuck!" I said to myself, thinking I had blown it.

Upon getting to my spot in the line, which snaked south from the TopShop entrance down and around the corner and east on Third St., I immediately set about getting a count of the people in front of me. When I reached the front of the line, I had counted 113, which made me #114, give-or-take a few as a few lawn chairs were empty as I was making my count. I asked the people that were first in line what time they had arrived and they said 7pm Monday night. Sheesh, I was still working at that time.

But now that I knew I was within the 250 limit, I relaxed and felt better. Of course, I still had to worry about getting to work on time in the morning...I had to be there at 10am and the wristbands were being handed out as you bought your book at 9am. Now it was just a matter of settling in and waiting it out. One thing I noticed as I made my count of the line was the preponderance of young people...I would say more than 60% of the line were people 30 and younger.

I had thought about bringing some Led Zeppelin with me for the long wait, but in my haste to leave after I woke from my nap, I forgot all about bringing any music. But on my way down I figured there would be plenty of other people with boom boxes and the like blasting Zeppelin thru the night. Sure enough, some kids showed up after me and they had some neat gizmo called a Jambox which was this wireless black rectangular speaker box that could play anything off his iPod and had incredible sound for such a small portable size speaker. The bass response was especially rich. Our soundtrack for the long wait included June 25, 1972 Forum ("How the West Was Won"), February 12, 1975 MSG (Godfatherecords "That's Alright New York"), and various songs from the studio albums.

There was a guy ahead of me flirting with this girl and he was trying to impress her with his knowledge and so every time a live Led Zeppelin song would come on, he would tell her the year that song came from...and he was wrong nearly every time, haha. "Black Dog" from LA 1972 is playing. "That's from 1973 New York." Wrong. "Over the Hills and Far Away" from MSG 1975 plays. "Oh, that's from 1977." WRONG again.

But I wasn't going to correct him...it's none of my business and who am I to stand in the way of romance? Besides, when I am waiting in line at these type of events, I prefer to do as little talking as possible. I like to rest and conserve my energy and listen to other people.

At 5am or so, the Barnes & Noble people started making a count of the line and getting it into some kind of order. Shortly afterwards, they passed out red tickets...you had to have a red ticket to get your wristband. This prevented people holding places for their friends who would arrive later and inflate the line. If you weren't there to get a red ticket when they passed them out, you were S.O.L. And I would say that anybody who showed up after 6am was probably past the 250 limit.

Thank goodness the Farmers Market was open early and I could fuel myself on coffee and fruit. It was also helpful that we were in Los Angeles...no rain, no snow, a very mild night with little chill. Another thing to do to pass the time was count the number of Led Zeppelin t-shirts and tattoos. There were the usual number of 1977 US Tour shirts, but there were a few offbeat ones, too. And there was one hot girl near the front of the line that had the 4 runes from IV tattooed on her bikini line.

As the hours passed and Zeppelin song after Zeppelin song echoed into the early morning air, that sense of anticipation mixed with antsy-ness and worry accumulated as the 9 o'clock hour drew near. I flagged down a B & N employee and got the scoop. When you got inside the bookshop, you had to buy the book to get a wristband. You could buy as many books as you wanted, but Jimmy would only hand-stamp one of your books later that evening. They were having Jimmy pre-stamp some additional books before the event, and you would be able to trade any extra book you had for a pre-hand-stamped copy after your time with Jimmy. The book retails for $60 but with the B & N discount it actually cost only $48.

Around 8:30am or so, everyone gathered their chairs and blankets and got ready. Now that we all were standing the line seemed to shorten a bit as we inched ever closer to the entrance to The Grove. At 9am the first group of 20-25 people were allowed to go to the Barnes & Noble to buy their book and collect their wristband. It generally took about 10 minutes or so to process the groups, and as I was just after #100 or so, I calculated that I would be in the 5th or 6th group. Which meant that it would be very close to 10am by the time i got my wristband...meaning I would be cutting it close to getting to work on time. As the line got shorter and shorter, we could see the people ahead of us coming out with their bags of Jimmy Page books! One guy bought a whole box full of books...at least 5.

Finally the Barnes & Noble security guy counted off the next group of people...and STOPPED immediately after the person before me! Argh, I would have to wait another 10 minutes, but at least I would be first in the next group. The wait seemed to take forever but at last we received the "GO!" signal, and I hightailed it from the TopShop entrance to the Barnes & Noble which was about 250 feet away. A few more minutes and my shrinkwrapped "Jimmy Page on Jimmy Page" book was in hand, as well as my silver wristband with the letter 'F' and a printed sheet with the rules and regulations of the event for that night. No posed photos with Jimmy, no signing of memorabilia, etc. Line up for the 7pm event would begin at 6pm.

It was now 9:48am and miraculously I made it to work at 10:02am...only a couple minutes late.

Now I just had to suffer sleep-deprived thru the work day and count the hours until 6pm when I could leave.

To be continued...

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PlanetPage

PlanetPage

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Strider, every time I read about one of your experiences I feel like I'm right there as well- looking forward to the next installment...

...very true, as if time has stood still, the wait to see "Led Zeppelin"...the many photos, and concert memories posted in timeline here at the Official Site echoe Strider's commentary as of today...Lucky weather for Strider, as oppose to the East Coast Sub-Zero, waiting in line for ticket for "LZ"...Strider, and fans, I am so very happy for all of you, I truly long for this moment, I wish to have made this journey but impossible circumstances!!, it would have required lots of courage to meet "James Patrick Page"...well done for you are all very brave to meet our beloved Musician..

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Ddladner

Ddladner

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Man oh man, Strider!

You have a great gift in expressing your experiences in words.

Wish you had seen Zep 100 times and wrote about each concert!

Agree! Great story telling, Strider! Hope you get a break from work soon to fill us in on the rest of your experience. It's like when you are watching your favorite show and it ends with "...to be continued" and you have to wait for next week's show to see the ending! :)

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Strider

Strider

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Stargroves Tangie, Yellowrose, PlanetPage, Deborah, Pagefan55, CJW, jabe, Debbie, zepscoda, 60blues, luvlz2, Tangerina...you all are too kind and you warm my heart. If I had had that kind of support when I was young I might have been a real writer. :notworthy:

...on to the conclusion. Thanks for your patience.

When I got to work after getting my wristband and book, whenever I had the chance to think I weighed in my mind what to say to Jimmy Page when my turn came. What should be my approach? Should I ask an arcane question regarding Zeppelin lore? Focus on his past exploits or his possible future endeavors? I had had some people sending me suggestions for questions but the more I thought about it, the more I felt it wasn't the proper forum for a question, no matter how lightweight.
This was a book signing...okay, hand-stamping to be precise...designed to promote Jimmy's book. It should be a positive, fun, celebrative affair for all concerned. It wasn't the place to play 'journalist' or 'gossip reporter'. I didn't need to burden Jimmy with some fan-boy question regarding some minute detail of his past or try to put him on the spot regarding his plans for the future or his thoughts on the Spirit lawsuit, etc. No, as the day wore on the more apparent it became to me that all I needed to do was pass along a short and simple message of appreciation for what his music has meant to me all throughout my life. Henceforth, my focus narrowed to figuring out what to say and how to say it...I didn't want to get up there in front of Jimmy and start fumbling for words. I tried out several versions thru the afternoon before settling on what I thought was a concise yet heartfelt message. Simple and direct.
I also prepared my book bag in advance so that as soon as I closed, i could just grab it and go. I made sure I had my books, receipts, wristband, and my presents for Jimmy all neatly tucked inside the bag.
The hours and minutes seemed to drag by as I kept one eye on the clock constantly...is it 6 o'clock yet? Are we there yet? Technically, I shouldn't have closed the shop until 7pm, but my boss let me close early so I could make the Jimmy Page event. He was off at 5 to the westside for the Ruby Law-Carrie Fisher book talk/signing. Naturally, there was one last straggler in the shop who wouldn't stop gabbing and so it was closer to 6:30pm when I finally shut everything down, locked up and got out of the shop. Only to find myself in Hollywood traffic hell.
You see, the AFI Fest was happening that week in Hollywood and that night there were several big events...all taking place along Hollywood Blvd. Oprah Winfrey was at the Egyptian Theatre presenting some film of hers about Selma, Tommy Lee Jones was at the Dolby Theatre for his new movie "The Homesman" with Hilary Swank, and the French bio-pic "Saint Laurent" was premiering at the Chinese Theatre. The boulevard was a parking lot and the sidewalks were crammed with paparazzi and looky-loos.
Great...it's going to take me forever to get out of this mess and I'm going to be late for Jimmy was what I was thinking.
It took 15 minutes just to go two blocks...pass the Oprah scrum but there was still the mob in front of the Chinese and Dolby ahead. About 6:45pm and nowhere near The Grove. The line-up for the event began at 6pm, and the line was sectioned off in groups by letter. But if I arrived after my letter group had already been let in, would I then have to go to the back of the line? Would I get a tired and worn-out Jimmy? Or heaven forbid, something happened and he had to cut the hand-stamping short due to an emergency or something? It was 6:50pm when I was clear of Hollywood Blvd. and the rest of the way was smooth sailing, thank goodness. It was 7:03pm when I entered the Grove parking lot. As I dashed towards the Barnes & Noble, I could see a long line formed exactly where we were 12 hours ago in front of the Topshop Topman. I looked at the wristbands of the first group in line...they had the letter 'G'. My wristband was letter 'F', which meant my group was already inside the store. More running...dodging shoppers and prams...into the Barnes & Noble and up to the second level where the line was being held in a sort of holding area. Group 'F' was still there. I had made it just in time. Safe and able to relax at last.
I looked around and saw some people I remembered from the early morning. Some of the ladies had definitely gotten all primped and gussied up, hoping to make an impression on Jimmy Page. Some looked like old groupies...there was one raven-haired woman there who had gone to great lengths to show off her ample endowments. One of the young girls I saw earlier had changed into a close approximation of jimmy's RAH sweater vest, with a white shirt underneath...definitely one of the cooler outfits I saw. Some people obviously didn't read the fine print about Jimmy not signing anything, for some brought albums and other memorabilia thinking they would get Jimmy to sign their stuff.
About 10 minutes after I arrived, the line started moving as the next batch of lucky sods were allowed up the escalator to the 3rd (and toppermost) floor of Barnes & Noble, where Jimmy Page awaited. You had to show your wristband before they let you on the escalator. The line then wound around the greeting card section for a bit and through some book aisles before straightening out and heading down along the right side towards the table, behind which Jimmy sat upon a raised portion of the floor, with pictures of the book cover and other signs adorning the walls around Jimmy.
A Barnes & Noble girl approached and gave us the lowdown: Take the shrinkwrap off the book. Open the book to the first completely blank page...that is where Jimmy would stamp it. Once you got to a certain point in the line, you could not take photos past that point. No posed photos or taking photos of Jimmy while you were at the table with him. You approached the table from the right side and gave your book to an employee who would pass the book along to Jimmy as you moved to the left and took your place in front of Jimmy and said your bit as he hand-stamped the book. Once Jimmy handed the book back to you, you exited to the left and if you wanted, there was a holding area slightly 10 feet or so from the table where you could take photos. If you had a companion with you and were thinking ahead, you could have your friend stationed there and ready to take a picture of you and Jimmy when your turn with Jimmy arrived. Alas, I was flying solo that night. But then, taking photos wasn't uppermost in my mind...keeping my nerves calm was.
The Led Zeppelin III companion audio disc was playing on the store's sound system while we were waiting in line. I could see above everyone and see Jimmy from afar as we snaked around and around the bends and curves in the line. I could see various people showing Jimmy items they had brought...or their Zeppelin tattoos. Once we got out from behind the shelves and entered the straightaway, my calm began to give way to excitement. I kept nervously checking my book to see if I had it open to the right page. I had to figure out how I was going to present my gifts and when...before he stamped my book or after? If I was going to shake his hand I would need my right hand free, which meant my left hand would have to hold the bag and everything else. Closer and closer I got...I could see his silver hair and his smile as he stamped book after book. Black leather jacket, black shirt and black scarf. Four people in front of me...three...two...one.
Then, it was my turn at last! As "Jennings Farm Blues" played in the background, I made my way in front of Jimmy as one of the assistants handed my book to him to place under the stamping machine. And then, as Jimmy shook my hand and beamed his smile at me, I momentarily lost my equilibrium and had a deer-in-the-headlight moment. You see, you can plan and prepare and practice all you want...you can think you've seen it all before and nothing can faze you. But then, Jimmy looks at you with those twinkling eyes that have seen a million stages and rocked them harder than Bon Jovi could ever conceive and you feel your hand in Jimmy's grip, with those fingers that coaxed millions of sounds and notes from his guitar that seared your mind and stirred your soul, and all of your pretense of calm is lost and you become an awestruck 13-year-old schoolgirl.
Steady man, steady...don't blow it and start babbling nonsensically. Breathe. Exhale. Don't piss your pants. Fortunately, after Jimmy's brief "hello" and handshake, he went about stamping my book which gave me the necessary time to regroup and remember my purpose. I reached into my bag and pulled out my gifts and said the following:
"Mr. Page, I have seen you in concert 25 times going back to my first Led Zeppelin concert in 1972, and each one is indelibly etched into my memory. Watching you 'trip the light fantastic' on the stage was electrifying and your music has given me so much throughout my life that I wanted to give you something in return. I know you have a killer jukebox and so, as a token of my appreciation for all the music you have given the world over the years, I would like to give you these records in hope that they may find use in your jukebox. Thank you for your music, thank you for your lovely book. I hope to see you playing music on a stage again in the near future."
The records I gave him were two 45rpm singles...
1. The Ventures "Blue Star" b/w "Comin' Home Baby" Dolton 1966
_MG_5487.jpg
2. Lowell Fulsom "Blues Around Midnight b/w "Talkin' Woman" Kent 1966
As I placed the records before him, Jimmy's eyes widened and he seemed genuinely pleased with my gift, and he clasped my hand in both of his hands and I received a hearty thanks and a great smile from him. The Ventures single he recognized immediately of course, but he looked very closely at the other record and asked me who it was. When I told him it was Lowell Fulsom, he nodded in recognition. One of his handlers started to take the records away and Jimmy said "No, don't give them to..." blast! I can't remember the name he said now...Gordon? Norton? Grant? Arghhh. :Thinking:
As my book was handed to me, we shook hands again and we exchanged thanks...his for the records and mine for his talent and music. My day was made and my objective of giving him a little something in return for all his music has given me, however slight and insignificant my gift may have been, was complete.
After that, I danced on air out of the Barnes & Noble with my lovely Jimmy book in hand.
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Maaike Roeleveld

Maaike Roeleveld

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Stargroves Tangie, Yellowrose, PlanetPage, Deborah, Pagefan55, CJW, jabe, Debbie, zepscoda, 60blues, luvlz2, Tangerina...you all are too kind and you warm my heart. If I had had that kind of support when I was young I might have been a real writer. :notworthy:

...on to the conclusion. Thanks for your patience.

When I got to work after getting my wristband and book, whenever I had the chance to think I weighed in my mind what to say to Jimmy Page when my turn came. What should be my approach? Should I ask an arcane question regarding Zeppelin lore? Focus on his past exploits or his possible future endeavors? I had had some people sending me suggestions for questions but the more I thought about it, the more I felt it wasn't the proper forum for a question, no matter how lightweight.
This was a book signing...okay, hand-stamping to be precise...designed to promote Jimmy's book. It should be a positive, fun, celebrative affair for all concerned. It wasn't the place to play 'journalist' or 'gossip reporter'. I didn't need to burden Jimmy with some fan-boy question regarding some minute detail of his past or try to put him on the spot regarding his plans for the future or his thoughts on the Spirit lawsuit, etc. No, as the day wore on the more apparent it became to me that all I needed to do was pass along a short and simple message of appreciation for what his music has meant to me all throughout my life. Henceforth, my focus narrowed to figuring out what to say and how to say it...I didn't want to get up there in front of Jimmy and start fumbling for words. I tried out several versions thru the afternoon before settling on what I thought was a concise yet heartfelt message. Simple and direct.
I also prepared my book bag in advance so that as soon as I closed, i could just grab it and go. I made sure I had my books, receipts, wristband, and my presents for Jimmy all neatly tucked inside the bag.
The hours and minutes seemed to drag by as I kept one eye on the clock constantly...is it 6 o'clock yet? Are we there yet? Technically, I shouldn't have closed the shop until 7pm, but my boss let me close early so I could make the Jimmy Page event. He was off at 5 to the westside for the Ruby Law-Carrie Fisher book talk/signing. Naturally, there was one last straggler in the shop who wouldn't stop gabbing and so it was closer to 6:30pm when I finally shut everything down, locked up and got out of the shop. Only to find myself in Hollywood traffic hell.
You see, the AFI Fest was happening that week in Hollywood and that night there were several big events...all taking place along Hollywood Blvd. Oprah Winfrey was at the Egyptian Theatre presenting some film of hers about Selma, Tommy Lee Jones was at the Dolby Theatre for his new movie "The Homesman" with Hilary Swank, and the French bio-pic "Saint Laurent" was premiering at the Chinese Theatre. The boulevard was a parking lot and the sidewalks were crammed with paparazzi and looky-loos.
Great...it's going to take me forever to get out of this mess and I'm going to be late for Jimmy was what I was thinking.
It took 15 minutes just to go two blocks...pass the Oprah scrum but there was still the mob in front of the Chinese and Dolby ahead. About 6:45pm and nowhere near The Grove. The line-up for the event began at 6pm, and the line was sectioned off in groups by letter. But if I arrived after my letter group had already been let in, would I then have to go to the back of the line? Would I get a tired and worn-out Jimmy? Or heaven forbid, something happened and he had to cut the hand-stamping short due to an emergency or something? It was 6:50pm when I was clear of Hollywood Blvd. and the rest of the way was smooth sailing, thank goodness. It was 7:03pm when I entered the Grove parking lot. As I dashed towards the Barnes & Noble, I could see a long line formed exactly where we were 12 hours ago in front of the Topshop Topman. I looked at the wristbands of the first group in line...they had the letter 'G'. My wristband was letter 'F', which meant my group was already inside the store. More running...dodging shoppers and prams...into the Barnes & Noble and up to the second level where the line was being held in a sort of holding area. Group 'F' was still there. I had made it just in time. Safe and able to relax at last.
I looked around and saw some people I remembered from the early morning. Some of the ladies had definitely gotten all primped and gussied up, hoping to make an impression on Jimmy Page. Some looked like old groupies...there was one raven-haired woman there who had gone to great lengths to show off her ample endowments. One of the young girls I saw earlier had changed into a close approximation of jimmy's RAH sweater vest, with a white shirt underneath...definitely one of the cooler outfits I saw. Some people obviously didn't read the fine print about Jimmy not signing anything, for some brought albums and other memorabilia thinking they would get Jimmy to sign their stuff.
About 10 minutes after I arrived, the line started moving as the next batch of lucky sods were allowed up the escalator to the 3rd (and toppermost) floor of Barnes & Noble, where Jimmy Page awaited. You had to show your wristband before they let you on the escalator. The line then wound around the greeting card section for a bit and through some book aisles before straightening out and heading down along the right side towards the table, behind which Jimmy sat upon a raised portion of the floor, with pictures of the book cover and other signs adorning the walls around Jimmy.
A Barnes & Noble girl approached and gave us the lowdown: Take the shrinkwrap off the book. Open the book to the first completely blank page...that is where Jimmy would stamp it. Once you got to a certain point in the line, you could not take photos past that point. No posed photos or taking photos of Jimmy while you were at the table with him. You approached the table from the right side and gave your book to an employee who would pass the book along to Jimmy as you moved to the left and took your place in front of Jimmy and said your bit as he hand-stamped the book. Once Jimmy handed the book back to you, you exited to the left and if you wanted, there was a holding area slightly 10 feet or so from the table where you could take photos. If you had a companion with you and were thinking ahead, you could have your friend stationed there and ready to take a picture of you and Jimmy when your turn with Jimmy arrived. Alas, I was flying solo that night. But then, taking photos wasn't uppermost in my mind...keeping my nerves calm was.
The Led Zeppelin III companion audio disc was playing on the store's sound system while we were waiting in line. I could see above everyone and see Jimmy from afar as we snaked around and around the bends and curves in the line. I could see various people showing Jimmy items they had brought...or their Zeppelin tattoos. Once we got out from behind the shelves and entered the straightaway, my calm began to give way to excitement. I kept nervously checking my book to see if I had it open to the right page. I had to figure out how I was going to present my gifts and when...before he stamped my book or after? If I was going to shake his hand I would need my right hand free, which meant my left hand would have to hold the bag and everything else. Closer and closer I got...I could see his silver hair and his smile as he stamped book after book. Black leather jacket, black shirt and black scarf. Four people in front of me...three...two...one.
Then, it was my turn at last! As "Jennings Farm Blues" played in the background, I made my way in front of Jimmy as one of the assistants handed my book to him to place under the stamping machine. And then, as Jimmy shook my hand and beamed his smile at me, I momentarily lost my equilibrium and had a deer-in-the-headlight moment. You see, you can plan and prepare and practice all you want...you can think you've seen it all before and nothing can faze you. But then, Jimmy looks at you with those twinkling eyes that have seen a million stages and rocked them harder than Bon Jovi could ever conceive and you feel your hand in Jimmy's grip, with those fingers that coaxed millions of sounds and notes from his guitar that seared your mind and stirred your soul, and all of your pretense of calm is lost and you become an awestruck 13-year-old schoolgirl.
Steady man, steady...don't blow it and start babbling nonsensically. Breathe. Exhale. Don't piss your pants. Fortunately, after Jimmy's brief "hello" and handshake, he went about stamping my book which gave me the necessary time to regroup and remember my purpose. I reached into my bag and pulled out my gifts and said the following:
"Mr. Page, I have seen you in concert 25 times going back to my first Led Zeppelin concert in 1972, and each one is indelibly etched into my memory. Watching you 'trip the light fantastic' on the stage was electrifying and your music has given me so much throughout my life that I wanted to give you something in return. I know you have a killer jukebox and so, as a token of my appreciation for all the music you have given the world over the years, I would like to give you these records in hope that they may find use in your jukebox. Thank you for your music, thank you for your lovely book. I hope to see you playing music on a stage again in the near future."
The records I gave him were two 45rpm singles...
1. The Ventures "Blue Star" b/w "Comin' Home Baby" Dolton 1966
_MG_5487.jpg
2. Lowell Fulsom "Blues Around Midnight b/w "Talkin' Woman" Kent 1966
As I placed the records before him, Jimmy's eyes widened and he seemed genuinely pleased with my gift, and he clasped my hand in both of his hands and I received a hearty thanks and a great smile from him. The Ventures single he recognized immediately of course, but he looked very closely at the other record and asked me who it was. When I told him it was Lowell Fulsom, he nodded in recognition. One of his handlers started to take the records away and Jimmy said "No, don't give them to..." blast! I can't remember the name he said now...Gordon? Norton? Grant? Arghhh. :Thinking:
As my book was handed to me, we shook hands again and we exchanged thanks...his for the records and mine for his talent and music. My day was made and my objective of giving him a little something in return for all his music has given me, however slight and insignificant my gift may have been, was complete.
After that, I danced on air out of the Barnes & Noble with my lovely Jimmy book in hand.

Oh wow, thanks for sharing your experience at the book-stamping event in LA!

And as others have mentioned before, you're a good writer.

I am happy for everyone who had the chance to attend one of these events and have a personal encounter (even if it was a very brief one) with Jimmy.

I personally couldn't go, Jimmy did not do one of these events in The Netherlands and travelling to NYC or LA and such was simply too expensive..............

Oh well......., then again you never know what life has in store for you.................

Maaike

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